Yankees prospect Andrew Brackman cut loose

Noah K. Murray/The Star-LedgerYankees prospect Andrew Brackman was cut loose by the team after he failed to progress in the minor leagues.

NEW YORK — The Yankees severed ties today with former No. 1 draft pick Andrew Brackman, releasing the pitcher instead of picking up the option on his contract. General manager Brian Cashman announced the move, which comes after Brackman regressed badly in the minor leagues.

The 6-foot-11 right-hander entered spring training with a chance to impress coaches, only to be slowed by a groin injury. Brackman, 25, struggled so badly with his command that the Yankees moved him into the bullpen, where he finished the season as a late-season call-up.

Once a highly touted prospect, Brackman made just three appearances for the Yankees, allowing no runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Yankees took a chance on Brackman out of North Carolina State, where he also played basketball. Despite needing Tommy John surgery, the Yankees chose him 30th overall in the 2007 draft and gave him a four-year major league deal and a $3.35 million signing bonus.

They hoped they had landed a high-end starer. Instead, Brackman struggled after surgery, rediscovered himself with an impressive 2010 season, and then faltered.

In 33 appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, most of them out of the bullpen, Brackman went 3-6 with a 6.00 ERA. He issued 75 walks, or seven per every nine innings he pitched.

Cashman is not concerned about Alex Rodriguez’s health issues lingering into next season. Rodriguez underwent knee surgery and was plagued in the second half with a sprained right thumb.

Francisco Cervelli is ready to catch again after ending the year on the disabled list with a concussion.

No members of the team are scheduled to undergo offseason surgery.

Rookie Jesus Montero’s role next season will depend on how the rest of the roster shakes down. He could catch, become the Yankees’ full-time DH or come off the bench.

“He’s a very young, talented player that obviously we feel can have an impact at the major league level for us now,” Cashman said.

Cashman heaped heavy high praise on catcher Russell Martin, who the Yankees will likely bring back next season via arbitration. “He came in here and we thought he was Thurman Munson-like,” Cashman said of Martin’s leadership in the clubhouse.

Mainstay Jorge Posada is a free agent but Cashman said he is not prepared to discuss whether the Yankees will bring back the 40-year-old former catcher. Posada’s role diminished last season, making the Yankees an unlikely fit if he decides to keep playing.

The Yankees have yet to address which members of the coaching staff will return. Aside from hitting coach Kevin Long and pitching coach Larry Rothschild, the rest of the coaches have contracts that are expiring.

Cashman will join more than 40 business and community leaders sleeping outdoors on Nov. 17 as part of the CEO Solidarity Sleepout.

The sleepout will take place in Manhattan near the Covenant House New York Crisis Center. Cashman serves on the board of directors for the organization, which supports homeless youth.